Defendants who are convicted of, or take pleas to, misdemeanor offenses are often placed on unsupervised probation. Most people have some idea of what probation entails, but few know what unsupervised probation is. Unsupervised probation comes with some conditions, and it is important to understand those before accepting a plea that will place you on probation.

Many criminal defendants are so excited to see the word “dismissed” that they don’t pay much attention to the next two words. In short: “without prejudice” means your charge or charges could come back. You may not be entirely out of the woods yet.

Many people charged with a domestic violence offense believe the victim is the one “pressing charges” and thus the victim can get the case dismissed. That is not the case. The State, or prosecution, is the one that brings and prosecutes domestic violence offenses.